Chapter 6

Still Tuesday

I wake when the motor roars to life in the dark room. I feel the slack taken from me, an unrelenting pull that jerks me from slumber, then to my feet without asking. I'm pulled upwards, and fight making noise with everything. 

I grimace out a stifled gasp, a tear running down my face. I feel the muscles in my pecs, my shoulders tearing inside. I want to scream stop when I'm standing on my tippy toes, but mercifully the motor stops. 

I hang in the darkness, and begin to wait. No lights come on, time passes and my body slowly breaking. Sweat coming down, I'm stifling short breaths. So much pain, my upper body feeling so weak.

More time goes by, and soon I'm hanging my head. I'm drooling, I don't care.

I hear the metal door open, and I raise my head, but all is still black. I hear someone enter, walking slow. The door stays open, and I listen to every noise she makes.

"How was nap time?" She asks in the black.

"Could you, lower it just an inch?" I ask without hesitation.

"I could, but what do I get out of it?" She asks, sounding as if she's circling me.

"What...what do you want?" My head dropping, I whisper, already knowing.

"You know what I want, silly." I feel her gentle hand find my face. 

I try to move it away, but she holds me, lifting my face up. I feel her right in front of me, my eyes strain to see, but fail.

She's close to me; I feel her breath on my face. I can't stop myself from pulling from her grip, trying to break free. I gasp when I feel her move even closer; I stop breathing when I hear her smell me. 

We stay there in that moment for a couple of seconds. She just smelled me? My heart still beating a mile a minute, I finally take a breath.

"I have all day sweetie...How long do you think you can hang?"

Just a test.

"If I...give you a name...you'll just want another, then another..."

"Yes, that sounds correct."

"...then, when I give you everything...everyone you want...what good am I? What are you going to do-?"

"We'll burn that bridge when we get there-"

"Don't fucking lie to me! I'm as good as dead now...Rendition sites, isn't that what this is?" 

ZAP!

A flash of blue electricity cuts the dark. For a second I see the brunette, still in a Hooters uniform. Not wearing her blonde wig, not wearing a mask.

I saw her face. Those green eyes. For a split second.

It's black again, and a moment before she speaks.

"Remember where you are, little boy. Just because you're smart, doesn't mean you get to speak however you want. You have no control over...anything, for as long as we say so..."

Her hand still holding my face to hers. I feel her nose touch mine, her lips are so close, I feel them moving. Her breaths jab air into my mouth.

"What...what now?" 

"What are you going to give me for that inch?"

I try to move my head away, but she gently holds it up to hers. I momentarily forget about my body.

"A kiss?" I whisper, unsure of my words, my thought.

It's a moment before she responds. I hear her sigh, "I suppose."

I'm taken back. Unsure if I heard her right. I have to swallow, lick my dry lips wet. My breath has to be atrocious. 

"Oh...okay." I hear myself.

Her hand lets go of my face and I hear her click something. Immediately I'm lowered, and released from the searing pain of suspension. I land flat footed, she clicks it again, and the motor stops. I have just enough to stand, my upper body still hurting, still exhausted from being stretched.

"There, is that better?"

"Thank you." I spew exasperated.

I lean towards her, unsure what type of kiss she's willing or wanting. I feel her finger stop my lips in the darkness.

"Now, where were we? Oh, that's right, got a name for me?"

"Why-why-why are they so important to you!?"

"Because they broke the law." She says tone deaf.

"They risk their lives to expose corruption-"

"By breaking the law. You know, some of them, your friends, aren't the white hats you think they are."

"And you aren't the perfect government deep state tool! The only way democracy stays true is by transparency-"

"Well said, why don't you start, and give us your sources?"

"Just...just kill me...I can't-"

"No...We're not going to kill you, not yet...You have so much to give us."

"I can't, I can't-"

"You can, and will...Remember sweetie, this is just the third day, we have another week until someone notices you're missing-"

She's right. How long can I hold on? 

"No."

"-and if you stay defiant, we can always introduce you to some drugs that will dissolve that little wall of defiance you might still have." Her hand stroking my face in the dark.

"I fucking hate you." Desperation whispered from my mouth.

"No you don't, silly...You love this, someone who knows you, the spotlight on you, for once. Your moment of fame...How will it end?"

When will it end?

She's right though. I do love being the object for someone's physical attention. Even if it is, this. This twisted version of whatever. Stop thinking this! 

"I-I don't know their names-"

"Don't lie-"

"I-I never met or, communicated outside of email-"

"You're not a liar; don't pretend to be one now."

I stop; she's not buying anything I'm going to say. I can't win. 

"Dummy, you know all the technology we use. I was in there when you traded two bitcoins last week."

Fuck! She means Tuesday. When I bought the "Guffybomb" release. That's what put me here. Call an audible.

"I...What do you think I'm going to do? What can I do!? If I resist, you're going to torture me, if I give you everything you want, you're going to torture me-"

"That sounds right."

"You already know everything!"

"That's true too."

 "What, what is this then!?"

"This, is just, fun." Her voice extremely close.

"Fun" she says. 

"Just...kill me." I whisper defeated.

"You like the truth so much...would you like to see something?" Her voice is trailing away.

No. 

A light clicks on from the other room. I can't look away. The door is open. I see her, her outfit, but not her face. The light reveals some, but she uses the shadows to conceal her identity.

In the other room, it's full of torture devices. Tools. 

I see blades, knives, pliers, lots of pliers mounted to the wall. More than we have at the shop. I see propane torches. Black leather bondage restraints. Whips. Studded paddles. 

She models the door and the contents inside like a game show model. I see her smile in the edge of the light.

Little glass vials on the wall. Car batteries on the floor, wires setting on a wooden tool bench. I see a chair with restraints, mounted to the floor. Pools of red on white concrete. 

"This, is the room of truth." She saunters over to me, disappearing into the shadows. "At any moment, we can take you there...then fun time will be over."

"Just kill me." I repeat, this time with more confidence.

She moans a little laugh, her hand moving back to my face. I see her eyes reflecting little lights in the dark.

"I...only tried to do what's right...to inform, to help fight the good fight...why would you...fight against them? The ones that employ you are the ones who control you. Why...why can't you see, you're on the wrong side...if, if we didn't have those controls over us, we wouldn't have labels, we wouldn't be divided, we could truly unite...make the world better-"

"For who?"

"For everyone, for the masses, for progression, as a world...no strife, no conflict, the endless wars. Information is power-"

"Your world of truth going to bring that?"

"What happened to you? Why would someone so beautiful, be so...ugly?"

Her face changes. The smile is gone. Her eyes standing out. Push it.

"Heartless little soldier girl."

Her face gets angry. Her eyes grow cold.

"See the animal in his cage that you built...Are you sure of what side you're on..."

I'm reciting lyrics like statements. Trying to get inside her head. Plant some sort of seeds of dissent. I don't know why but I continue with some sort of confidence.

"...Better not look him to closely in the eyes...Are you sure what side of glass you are on?"

ZAP!

Pain everywhere, and my legs go numb, I'm hanging again. Stretched past my limits.

"...See the safety...of the life...you have lived..."

ZAP!

More pain. Tears run down my clenched eyes. My teeth grit, I continue.

"Everything...where it...belongs..."

ZAP!

I'm twitching. Spitting drool. Tongue pressed into my teeth.

"Feel...the hollow...ness...inside your...heart..."

ZZZAAAPPP!

So much pain on this one. I'm barely conscious. My head is so far away, but the words tethering me to this reality. I want to sleep but I continue to sputter out.

"And it's...all...right where...it belongs."

She says something softly, but I ramble over her.

"What if...every-thing....around you...isn't quite...as it seems..."

"Do you think quoting Trent Reznor will change anything?"

Ignore.

"What if...all the world...you used to know...Is an elaborate...dream?..."

I hear something hit the ground, and feel both her hands shoot to my face. Holding my jaw closed. Her eyes, ice pearls in the close and dark. Her jaw is clenched; I see veins flexed on her arms and neck.

My jaw clenched shut, "And if...you look...at you're...re-reflection...Is this...all you...you wanted to be?"

I see her raise back, closed fist. Fire and anger. I turn my face for her. My eyes never wavering from hers. Let her do her worst.

We hold there for a moment. She's thinking. I know the pain is coming, close my eyes and wait. Maybe I'll get lucky, and she knocks me out. 

"No." She whispers.

I open my eyes, somewhat shocked. Somewhat deflated my words didn't push her, like hers did me.

Her face is studying mine, is a mix of bitterness and intrigue. I can't tell if she's angry at me, or my words. Or both.

Her fist unclenches, and disappears into her apron. I second later, I'm falling. I drop like a rag doll knees first, then onto my back, lifeless.

I gasp out a breath in shock. She's on top of me; my straps are untied one by one. I hear a click, and watch the bar and chain disappear into the dark. She's still on top of me, my eyes growing heavy. I try to touch, but my arm flops.

No, fight it. Stay awake, I try and think as my eyelids open to less and less. My body shutting down. I'm numb all over. Everything is black again.

I feel her hand run through my hair with my last bit of conciseness.